Engaging Targets
by DantonWiles
Summary: Short One-Shot that I finally put down on paper. Just an idea I've always had for how Legion could have been more versatile in the games, and a scene that would have allowed for an awesome "Heck Yeah!" moment. Hope you enjoy.


**A/N: I've had the thought in my head for a long time, "Why couldn't they use Legion in more than just his damaged mobile-platform?" I mean, they establish in the games that the programs that comprise a Geth Platform can leave and do other things when not needed in a physical form, and it's implied that the Platforms are usable by whichever programs need them at a given time. This is a scene I've toyed with for a long time but never felt like putting it on paper before.**

**I don't have any plans to include this into any larger stories, and if anyone wants to use the concept in their own fiction, I won't mind (shoot me a heads-up so I can read it though!).**

**I don't own any part of Mass Effect.**

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"You know, I've never understood why you only ever bring a 3-man team on runs like this."

Garrus looked at Shepard with a wry smile on his face, contrasting drastically with the situation they found themselves in. Hunkered down behind a small, ruined prefab wall, neither of them really had any elbow room, but it was the lesser of two evils at the moment. Bullets bounced and pinged off the wall in front of them and all around, steadily eroding the area of safety they had claimed.

"Sometimes, Garrus, I wonder that myself," Shepard responded with a quick head shake. Anyone who didn't know the two men would easily think them insane for the lack of outward concern they showed in the face of such danger. It was a testament to their history - two lifetimes of warfare and violence - that they were able to crack jokes while under fire. Even Mordin, ten meters away behind a similar wall, seemed agitated by the two.

"Suggest application of less introspection, more firepower Shepard!" Mordin shouted over the rattle of the gunfire. Garrus and Shepard both chuckled at the Doctor, knowing that Mordin was never intentionally humorous while on a mission.

"I wonder if Mordin realizes he's one of the best straight-men in history." Shepard quipped as he tossed a smoke grenade out into the small courtyard separating them from their opponents. Garrus looked at him quizzically.

"I don't think a smoke screen is going to work against that many rifles, Shepard."

Shepard just smiled wider and held his hand up to his helmet. "Joker! What's the status on our support package?"

_"Ready and waiting, Commander,"_ Joker's voice came back in an instant. _"Just tell me where you want it."_

"Bring it down on the orange smoke, orientation 310 degrees, local compass," Shepard gathered his legs under him, preparing to dash to another wall and push forward. Garrus didn't need instructions to know his role - he loaded a fresh thermal clip and prepared to suppress while Shepard moved. Mordin queued up several routines on his Omni-Tool and started the micro fabricators constructing a Cryo Grenade.

One of the most amazing - and terrifying - aspects of having the Normandy for support was the absolute silence with which she approached. Moving faster than the speed of sound, there was no way to hear her over the sounds of battle. Suddenly, an incredible sonic boom impacted the squad, and almost every pirate facing off against them looked up to the sky. By that time, the Normandy had already moved to station-keeping above the courtyard, its hangar door open wide with a massive dark shape stepping out of the shadows within. Without hesitation, the shape stepped off the edge of the ramp, falling seven stories to slam into the ground just meters away from the smoke signal.

At first glance it was difficult to tell what the object was. Hunched over in a compact collection of slate gray armor plating, black flexible plastics, and glowing blue lights, it almost looked as if Shepard had just called in a support drop of scrap shuttle components. Then the shape began to move, expanding upwards as it unfolded from the landing crouch. Powerful legs and long arms extended to a bipedal configuration. Atop the torso, a smoothly curved neck ended in a bright, round optical sensor. The figure reached a height of two meters and continued to extend, unslinging a huge energy rifle from its back and emitting a rapid, popping static sound. Suddenly the figure was recognizable as one of the most powerful infantry units ever documented.

A Geth Prime.

"Shepard-Commander," Legion intoned as he stood up to his full height. "Engaging targets."

Shepard smiled grimly at the memory of the first time he had seen Geth dropping from the sky on him. He sincerely hoped that none of the pirates attacking them ever had, because he knew it would add a level of panic that would make the Squad's job that much easier. His coiled legs exploded beneath him, propelling him towards the next fragment of cover and an excellent flanking position. Garrus popped up over the wall and kept his rifle firing on a cluster of 4 pirates, making it impossible for them to get a steady shot at anyone.

Not that it was really necessary anymore. As dangerous as they were, the three organic members of the Normandy team had been all but forgotten as the pirates focused on the closest - and most intimidating - threat. Legion's shields flared from dozens of impacts, but none of the pirates had the technical ability, or equipment, to overload his systems and breach his defenses. His steady advancement on their positions caused them to break away and try to fall back, but that left them wide open to the combined marksmanship of Shepard and Garrus, while Mordin seemed more interested in gathering combat data from Legion's new chassis than he was in the firefight.

In another minute, all the surviving pirates had surrendered and the field was quiet again.


End file.
